City thumps Europa champion Porto
MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City routed defending champion Porto 4-0 to reach the last 16 of soccer’s Europa League as manager Roberto Mancini said striker Carlos Tevez may return to first-team action within three weeks.
Sergio Aguero scored after 19 seconds in Manchester on Wednesday and Edin Dzeko, David Silva and David Pizarro added secondhalf goals as City completed a 6-1 aggregate win. Porto’s Jorge Rolando was sent off in the second half after receiving a second yellow card.
The Premier League leaders will face Legia Warsaw or Sporting Lisbon in the round of 16, which starts March 8.
“We want to get to the final if possible, but it will be difficult,” Mancini said. “With teams like Manchester United, Valencia and Schalke in, it’s like the Champions League.”
City took less than a minute to extend its 2-1 advantage from the first match in Portugal. Porto’s Nicolas Otamendi gave the ball away in his area and Yaya Toure slid a pass to Aguero, who registered his 20th goal of the season.
City then increased its lead with 14 minutes remaining when Dzeko converted a pass from Aguero, and Silva and Pizarro added late scores.
Mancini said Tevez, City’s leading goalscorer the past two seasons, may be considered for a return to action in the next few weeks. The Argentine striker apologized Tuesday for his conduct following a disagreement with Mancini in a game at Bayern Munich in September that led to him leaving the team for three months without permission.
The round of 32 concludes tonight with 15 matches, including Manchester United taking a 2-0 lead into its second leg against Ajax at Old Trafford.